Why Won’t Dov Charney Just Go Away Already?

Share

A year after American Apparel terminated Dov Charney, the Charney news cycle remains very much un-terminated. That is thanks in large part to the man himself. The ex-CEO, who was fired from American Apparel “for cause,” according to the company’s board, filed a defamation lawsuit in protest last week, claiming that American Apparel caused “severe, irreparable harm to [his] personal and professional reputation.” Now, American Apparel is showing the receipts, and they are extremely in keeping with Charney’s reputation as a total creep. Among the materials the company released are inappropriate texts and emails he sent to employees. BuzzFeed quotes AA chairperson Colleen Brown, who says that Charney “frequently engaged in inappropriate sexual banter, infantilizing women and referring to himself as ‘Daddy.’”

Not only that, but Brown alleges that Charney recorded pornographic images and videos involving employees, at least one of which took place in his office, and kept them on — what else? — his work computer. His foolproof method for avoiding detection? He emailed said employees and asked them to “delete naughty emails!” (It seems that Charney is not super-familiar with how the Cloud works.)

Countered Charney’s lawyer, Keith Fink, “They went through years and years of private text messages from his personal telephone between himself and his friends, some of which involved amorous conversations that were consensual and welcome in nature.” Can one of these friends send him a private text message telling him to drop it already?